“He’d instantly become our greatest player,” San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Brian Wilson said of Carlos Beltran right before the team acquired the outfielder from the New York Mets.

Wilson was reaching, perhaps hoping Beltran would provide an offensive spark the team desperately needed at the trade deadline and beyond.

Beltran, the ex-Met, has not worked out, hitting poorly then suffering a hand injury, but The Franchise: A Season With The San Francisco Giants has enjoyed a much better fate.

The Showtime series provides an entertaining and insightful look at the defending World Series champs, including the ups and downs inherent in a 162 game season.

The Franchise has also done a good job of showing the human side of players, including a recent segment on Emmanuel Burriss, a D.C. native who lost his best friend in a shooting incident growing up.

Burriss, ironically, was shown being released by the team when  it picked up Beltran so you had to feel for the guy again, on a different level.

Nice job, Showtime, and with only mild “adult” language its far more watchable than some of it other programming.

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